


The Rebound

by DayDream64



Category: Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Bros. (Video Games), Super Mario Odyssey (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, F/M, Mario Needs a Hug, Post Mario Odyssey, Post-Canon, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-08
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26365927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DayDream64/pseuds/DayDream64
Summary: After the events of Super Mario Odyssey, Mario feels a little down on his luck. Seeing his bro in a sour mood, Luigi gets together with Daisy and Rosalina to plan a few days of fun and support to pick him back up.
Relationships: Luigi/Princess Rosalina, Princess Daisy/Mario
Comments: 6
Kudos: 10





	1. We All Need Some Brotherly Love

**Author's Note:**

> Had this fic idea burning for a while. But thanks to real-life stuff like classes and work eating up a lot of time couldn't get around to it. That and a major case of writer's block. But I finally manage to squeeze this one out and pretty happy with the start. Hopefully it won't take me too long to update it.

“Mario?” a worried voice slowly opened the door to his room. A groan would be heard in response. The concerned younger twin in green peeked his head in; the room was a bit of a mess. The lights were off, the older twin in question was wrapped underneath the covers, and the TV was on, albeit with low volume. Luigi sighed and stepped in, “Mario,” he was met with another groan, “Bro please, just-a talk-a to me. You only-a come out and-a speak when I-a call you out-a for food.” Silence would fill the room for a few more moments. The plumper Italian hero would pop his head free from the covers as he sat up. He looked at this brother, his own hair messy and disheveled, his eyes with dark circles around them from lack of rest and looking a little paler than usual.

He put on a tired smile and huffed, “I’m-a sorry Weegee. It’s-a just been…a hard these-a days. I’ll-a try-a to talk-a more, okie?” Luigi knew when Mario was putting on a brave face to keep him from worrying; he’d seen it a lot in their many adventures together. He just never thought he’d see it when they were both home.

Luigi takes a seat next to his big bro and puts an arm around him, “Hey, it’s ok. I just-a want-a you to know that you can-a always rely-a on-a me.”

Mario slowly nods, “Grazie millie, bro. I think I’m-a gonna take-a nap. If you-a need me, just-a wakey me up.” He goes to wrap himself in the blankets once more, turning away from Luigi. The younger brother sighs and stands up, closing the door as he leaves. He heads into the small cozy living room and plops into the green recliner.

_‘Mama mia,’_ he begins to think, _‘I’ve never seen him so down like this. I wanna help him, but I don’t know if I can get him out of this funk alone.’_ He takes out a small green and blue colored MushPhone and dials one of his favorite contacts.   
  
“Hello?” a soft-spoken feminine voice answered.

“Rosa!” Luigi’s voice sounded a lot more chipper, “It’s-a been a while!”

She giggled gently, “Yes, it has Luigi. What do I owe the pleasure of having you call?”

He blushed lightly, “W-well, uh,” he stuttered, “Mario’s-a been-a little down since-a his Odyssey.”  
  
“Oh really?” she sounded surprised, “I figured after an adventure like that, he’d be in high spirits.”  
  
“Usually, yeah. But-a something happened between him and-a Peachy.”  
  
“I see,” she calmly spoke. Letting this process for a few moments she asked, “Well, what do you have planned Luigi?”

“R-right! Well, I-I was-a thinking maybe he-a could use a night out-a with a few friends.”  
  
“Oh? You want me to come and visit then?” the space princess started to blush a bit herself.  
  
“Y-yeah! I-uh, mean-a only if you-a want to. You don’t-a have to if you-a don’t-a wanna,” he started to ramble on in Italian as he buried his face into his free hand.  
  
“Luigi,” she smiled, “I’d love to. Thank you for the invitation. Send me the details when you’re ready for me to head over.”  
  
“Okie doke!” he beams, “Thank-a you so much Rosa!”  
  
“See you in a bit Luigi~” she chuckled as she hung up.  
  
“Okie that’s-a one friend down.” He starts to dial another contact in his favorites list.  
  
“Yo!” an upbeat voice picks up from the other end.  
  
“Daisy! Haha, how’s it-a been?”  
  
“Hey Luigi,” she laughs a little, “How are ya? How’s the ghostbusting business?”  
  
“Eh, still-a scary, but the-a Professor is-a making newer gadgets to help. How are-a you?”  
  
“Sounds really cool! And as for me, nothing much in Sarasaland right now. Planning out some courses for our next Kart tournament.”  
  
“Ah! Well, if you’re not-a busy, you-a mind coming over to-a hang out?”  
  
“You kidding? I’d love to, Luigi! Been a bit since I hung out with my favorite plumbers~”  
  
“W-well,” Luigi sounded a little nervous again, “Mario could-a really use the company.”  
  
“Wait wha? Mario’s down? But I thought his journey around the world was amazing.”  
  
“It was, but-a something happened went down between him and-a Peachy. He-a won’t go into much detail.”  
  
Daisy placed a hand on her chin. _‘Man, knowing Mario, that must’ve really put a damper on things.’_ She continued to think, _‘Well, maybe this my chance to get a little closer? We’re good friends, but if Peach and him are on a break…’_ She mentally hit herself, _‘No! Bad princess! That’s taking advantage of the situation. Just be there for him, and maybe things will work out.’_  
  
“Eh, ‘ello? Daisy? You still there?” Luigi sounded worried. His voice broke her from her thoughts.

“O-oh, yeah. Pssh, I’m fine!” she tried to brush it off, “Sorry, just got to thinking on what possibly happened. Anyway, yeah, I’d love to help him out and catch up with you.”  
  
“Great! I’ll-a make a group chat so-a you, me and-a Rosa can plan-a out the details. Mario’s-a gonna remember he-a isn’t alone.”  
  
She shook her head smiling, “Alright, sounds good Luigi. And you’re a great brother for trying to help him out like this.”  
  
He bashfully scratched his head, “Just-a trying my best! Message you in a bit!”  
  
“See ya round Luigi~” She hangs up and Luigi immediately gets to typing and setting up the group chat.

**-BroInGreen Created Group-**   
  
-BroInGreen Added CosmicPrincess to Group-   
  
-BroInGreen Added FlowerPower to Group-

**BIG:** So, how are we gonna do this?  
  
 **CP:** Well, I don’t know Luigi, you’re his brother, you do know him the best.  
  
 **FP:** Hmm, think swinging by the Observatory would do him some good Rosa? I know he loves being around the Lumas.  
  
 **CP:** That…may actually work Daisy. And it has been a while since I’ve had company over. It’d be lovely to have you all here again.  
  
 **BIG:** Well we got one day planned! How about we also have a few days of sports? I know getting himself active usually puts a smile on his face.  
  
 **FP:** That sounds awesome! We could have a tourney each day, one for Golf, one for Karts, and one for Tennis.  
  
 **CP:** Does auto racing really count as a sport? Regardless we’re going to need a few more people for Karting and Tennis to make it interesting.  
  
 _BIG:_ I’ve got a few people in mind to fill in those extra slots, don’t worry! : D

**FP:** Aww, Luigi uses emoticons, how cute~  
  
 **BIG:** H-hey! I like being expressive in my texts. >.>

**CP:** It does add a certain bit of charm and conveys the tone better.

**FP:** Anyway, I think that’s a solid schedule! And we could end the week off with having a party hosted at my castle. Something small y’know but it gives me an excuse to have people over.  
  
 **CP:** I’d be honored to be a guest. I don’t believe I’ve been to Sarasaland so this should be interesting

**BIG:** With this much fun and support, Mario’s gonna get back into the swing of things! I just know it! Thank you two so much for helping ^D^  
  
 **CP:** My pleasure Luigi. I’ll be awaiting the three of you for your visit tomorrow.  
  
 **FP:** Just let me know when I can come over, Weeg. See y’all soon~

Luigi backed out of the message app with a wide smile on his face. He goes back to knock on Mario’s door. “Ey, bro? You-a up from your nap?”

Snoring could be heard before a sleepy sounding Mario would answer, “I’m-a up now. Come,” he lets out a yawn, “a-in.”

Luigi sheepishly walks into the room and its on the bed, next to his brother, “H-heh, sorry.”  
  
Mario smiles softly, still looking a little disheveled, “Ey, it’s ok. What did you wanna a-talk about Weegee?”  
  
“Well-a, Rosalina invited us to-a go to her-a Observatory. It’s-a been a while since we’ve-a visited her. Daisy was-a invited as well so we could-a show her around.”  
  
Mario closes his eyes for a few moments. It’s true, it’s been a while since he’s gone to space and visited the Space Princess on her own turf. And showing Daisy around would be a really fun time. Plus, he did love the Lumas. “Oki, I’ll-a go Weegee. Gives-a me an excuse to-a finally get-a out of-a here,” he tiredly smiles.  
  
Hearing his brother agree to come was a major first step. Luigi beamed as he hugged his older twin tightly, “I-a knew you’d-a say yes!”  
  
Mario softly laughs, returning the hug, “I-a need to breathe Weegee.”  
  
The younger twin lets go and nods, “Ok. I’ll-a let you rest and-a message Daisy. Because-a tomorrow, we’re-a space bound!”  
  
Mario chuckles and wraps the blankets around himself again, “Here we-a go again~”


	2. Revisiting the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mario, Daisy and Luigi visit the Comet Observatory. The red-capped hero shows Daisy around as Luigi and Rosalina have a few charmingly awkward moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was interesting writing more slice of life and smaller interactions between the cast. And even though Mario and Daisy are the main focus, I do like writing Luigi and Rosalina together. I'd like to think they're incredibly awkward with their personality types. Anyhow enjoy!

_‘Alright, looks like I made it here a little early~’_ the Flower Princess muses to herself. She gets out of her orange and yellow “Birthday Girl” kart and makes her way up the stone and dirt walkway to the Bros.’s house. She knocks on the door of the humble home. “Mario! Weegee! C’mon, let’s get going!” she calls them out happily.

The door could be heard unlocking as a very cheerful Luigi greets her, “Ah, Daisy! We were-a about to-a set up. Prego, entri.” (Please, come in.) The princess nods and walks in. “Help-a yourself to-a anything in the kitchen. Me and-a Mario are-a still setting up.”  
  
Daisy chuckles lightly, “It’s fine Luigi. I could help pack a few things if you need me.”  
  
The younger twin shyly scratches his head, “N-no. It’s fine. It’s-a few things we-a got Rosa and the-a Lumas.”  
  
A voice shouting from the back-yard could be heard by the pair, “Hey, a Weegee? Ti ricordi dove ho messo il cioccolato? E' per i bambini delle star.” (Do you remember where I put the chocolate? It’s for the star children.)  
  
Luigi laughs and calls back in Italian, “L'hai lasciato in frigo, per non farlo sciogliere.” (You left it in the fridge, so it wouldn’t melt.)  
  
“Grazie!” The older twin would rush in, heading for the refrigerator in question but stops dead in his tracks seeing the Sarasaland Royal. “Daisy…”

She grins widely and winks, “Heya Mario~”  
  
The shorter man in red proceeds to hug her, “…it’s-a been so long! Como sei stato?” (How have you been?) Daisy blushes heavily feeling his arms wrapped around her.

She happily hugs him back, “I’ve been ok. Not much going on in Sarasaland apart from hosting sports. But I’d love for you tell me what you’ve been up to.”  
  
He pulls away from the embrace smiling, “I’m-a pretty sure you already-a know.”  
  
“Well not all the details,” she puts her hands on her hips teasingly. “And besides, I like hearing you tell stories.”  
  
“Speaking of a stories, if you want to tell the Lumas one before they nap, we-a better finish up here,” Luigi reminds them. The other two nod in agreement and pack the few boxes they’re bringing along.  
  
As they head to the backyard, Daisy realizes something, “Hey, uh. How exactly are we gonna head up to the comet observatory. I don’t think the boxes are gonna survive being flung by a Launch Star.”  
  
Mario giggles in response, “Mhm. You’re-a right. Which is-a why we’re using this~” Luigi opens the backdoor and Daisy sees small red metallic ship in the shape of a top hat. It has a white line around the middle, with a globe attached to its exterior deck. A large golden hot air balloon would seem to power the vessel.

“Woah! Mario, you didn’t tell me you had a ship!” Daisy’s eyes go wide in both shock and excitement.  
  
“How do you think I-a got around the-a world?” he teases back.  
  
“Well, let me correct my words; I didn’t know you still **had** it. I thought Cappy would’ve taken it back home.”

Mario smiles softly, “Well, he-a said that I could-a keep for-a while. As-a both a gift to our adventure, and-a reason for me to visit him.”  
  
Luigi would message Rosalina that they’re on the way. “Ok, all-a set!” The younger brother in green would lead the pair into the ship. Mario, as its rightful captain would set course to the Comet Observatory. Daisy would sit down in the left chair to notice there were only two currently in the Odyssey. She would try to give her seat up so both brothers could sit down but Mario puts a hand on her shoulder.  
  
“Principessa,” he smiles warmly, “You’re-a the guest here. Per favore, just relax.”  
  
She feels her cheeks heat up again but lets out a small laugh, “Oh come on, I’m not dainty or fragile.”  
  
“No,” Luigi chimes in, “But you’re-a gonna wanna be sitting down when we take off.” The younger twin would strap himself in with a seatbelt. Daisy was about to question where he got said seatbelt when she feels the entire ship shake.The thrusters come on, the hot air balloon expands and they begin to lift off.

Daisy starts to tightly grip the seat, “Yo, Mario, you sure the ship can handle three people in it?!”  
  
The red-capped hero lets out a hearty laugh, “Here we go!”

* * *

Finally feeling the ship stabilize as they float higher and higher, breaking the stratosphere, the princess would begin to relax. She takes a notice of all the various knick-knacks and trinkets Mario collected on his journey around the globe. She sighs, mumbling to herself, “Man, what I would give to journey the world.”  
  
“Well, I’m-a sure if you ask-a Mario, he’ll be happy to guide you,” Luigi responds while reading from a book.

Her face once again gets flushed, “N-nah. Besides, he just came home. I couldn’t do that to him.” She looks over the distracted man in question, looking through one of the ships windows.  
  
“Just-a saying, he’d be more than happy to help someone close,” Luigi states as he turns a page.She rolls her eyes before getting up. She walks a few steps towards Mario and peeks through another window close-by him. She’s been to space a few times for the Rainbow Road tracks for their Kart tournaments, but she’s never really appreciated it in the slower moments. Without any of the chaos of their usual races, she see just how serene and vast the galaxy was.  
  
“It’s-a beautiful, no?” Mario’s voice breaks through her thoughts. She just nods, not wanting to ruin the stillness of the moment. “It just-a reminds me, that there’s-a so much more to-a see. That it’s-a all…wide open,” he beams. “That around-a every star and planet, there’s-a always something to discover.” Daisy turns her attention towards him. Her eyes sparkle lightly, being in awe of just how much childlike wonder he’s manage to hold onto. He turns his head towards her, still grinning, “But you-a know the best part? Look down.” Daisy once again looks out the window, but focuses her gaze on the Earth below. She could see the different worlds, the neighboring kingdoms, the vast oceans and islands.  
  
“Wow,” she manages to breathe out.  
  
“Best view from-a anywhere~” The pair let the soothing calmness and comfortable silence linger for a few more moments. Mario begins to feel the ship slow down, “Ok, get ready to-a board~”

* * *

On a soft patch of grass near the Fountain and Garden portals, the red ship docks. The Celestial Princess’s lip form a soft smile seeing her friends land. She slowly makes her way over to greet the party as the door unlocks. Mario, as he was already standing would be the first to walk out. He sees the tall woman in light blue and runs up hug her, “Rosa!”  
  
She giggles and happily returns the hug, “It’s good to see you too Mario.” They both break from the embrace, “It’s been a bit since we’ve been on an adventure. The Lumas are going to love having you around.”  
  
Daisy would step out of the ship next and is awestruck by the Observatory. Her head keeps turning and looking around, trying to take it all in. “Man this may not be a castle, but, wow. Oh, Star Spirits, it’s lovely.”  
  
Rosalina chuckles softly, “It’s great to welcome you here properly Daisy.” The flower princess would stop her star-struck gazing and walks over to the taller woman. She gives her a small hug that Rosalina returns as well.

As they’re hugging the brother in green would step out, “I’ve-a missed this place.”

Hearing his voice, her attention shifts towards Luigi. Her smile widens, overjoyed he was able to tag along. Luigi notices her smiling; he huffs out, “Rosa…” Because he wasn’t fully focused on where he was going, his foot mis-steps off the Odyssey’s ramp, making him tumble into the grass.  
  
Rosalina gasps and runs over to him, kneeling to help him up. “Are you ok Luigi?” His looks up at her and stares, his cheeks turning crimson. The space princess could feel herself become a little flushed as well.

He takes her hand to stand up and shyly scratches his head, “H-heh. Never better.”

* * *

Rosalina helps the others unload what they brought in. Mario smiles warmly and pulls out a large black case from the back of the ship, “Here’s-a little something I-a picked up from New Donk for you.” The Space Princess gasps lightly before nodding. She opens it to find a wooden acoustic guitar, painted and adorned with Metro Kingdom iconography.  
  
She picks up the instrument and plucks a few strings: it’s perfect. Her head turns to the shorter mustached hero, “M-mario. I thank you. But, how did you know I played?”  
  
He bashfully scratches the back of his cap, “E-heh, the Lumas said you-a liked to play for them sometimes. I-a thought it’d be nice for-a both you and them.”  
  
She smiles warmly, bowing slightly with the guitar still in her hands, “Why thank you. That’s incredibly thoughtful.” During this exchange however, both Luigi and Daisy felt a minor sense of jealousy. Daisy would cross her arms and grumble to herself as Luigi wonders how this little detail slipped by him.  
  
“Hey, speaking of i bambini piccoli, where are they?” Mario asks Rosalina.  
  
“Oh, they were napping but I suspect they’ll be awake any moment now.” As if on cue, about a dozen of the star children would come out from their resting place in the Garden area, flying towards the group.  
  
“Mario! Luigi!” they cry out as they swarm around the cuddle the brothers. Luigi instantly softens up from his slightly jealous mood and laughs as the baby stars begin asking him questions. Some of them turn their attention to Daisy and float around her.  
  
“Is this another one of Mama’s friends?” One asks.  
  
“She’s pretty.” another chimes in.  
  
“She’s reminds me of the flowers here,” a red one says while looking at her crown.  
  
Daisy would start to blush but grins at the excitable children, “Well, it’s nice to meet ya. Hi, I’m Daisy~”  
  
The Lumas around her spin and twinkle. “Oh so she is a flower!”  
  
“Is she someone’s special one?”  
  
“Must be Mario’s. Mama’s special person is the green one.”  
  
Hearing her own children throw her under the bus makes Rosalina bury her face in her hands. Daisy and Luigi get incredibly flustered as well while Mario awkwardly laughs. “Eheh,” the red-capped hero tries to move subject onto something else, “Daisy’s-a never been here before. Would you-a like to show the Princess around your home?”  
  
The stars happily bob up and down, “Yes!”  
  
“We’ll show the flower lady where keep the snacks!”  
  
“Maybe she’ll read us a story too!” The star children happily begin to pull and guide her towards the eastern wing of the observatory.  
  
“Eh, Bro? I-a think she’s gonna need some assistance,” Luigi chuckles at the scene.  
  
Mario nods and does his signature jump in response, “Oki! You two-a catch up. We’ll meet back for-a story time!” Mario leaves the slightly roused up pair, trying to keep the Lumas from overwhelming poor Daisy.

* * *

And so after a whirlwind of tour led by overly excited baby stars, Mario would manage to calm them somewhat down with the promise of a story. “Oh yay story-time!” they cry out enthusiastically. The small hoard of stars would make their way to the Library as Mario and Daisy follow behind.  
  
She giggles, “Awfully curious, aren’t they?”

He nods and stretches his arms for a moment, “Yup. But Sono molto carini.” (They’re very sweet.)  
  
As they enter the quiet, tranquil Library, Daisy would look amazed at the amount of books crammed into the shelves of the smaller room. _‘Man, this rivals my own book collection,’_ she thinks to herself. The Lumas huddle up in their seats, awaiting for Mario to start. Daisy takes a seat next to a pair of yellow and red Lumas.  
  
“Hmmm, which-a story to start with?” Mario puts a hand on his chin, thinking.  
  
A knock on the door frame would snap him out of his thoughts, “I hope we aren’t late.” The group turn their heads towards an entering Luigi and Rosalina.  
  
“Mama!” The Lumas say in an affectionate shout. Rosalina smiles warmly and makes her way to a nearby rocking chair to sit down.  
  
Luigi grins, “I-a think someone special really wanted to see ya~” Mario tilts his head as the younger brother steps aside to reveal a creamy white Luma wearing one of Mario’s old caps. The young capped pale star flies towards Mario and begins to hug him. Mario recognizes the star as the Luma who gave him his Star Spin attacked and helped him during both of his adventures in space. He happily hugs the star child back and has him rest in his lap.

Seeing the cap has Mario get an idea, “How-a many of you know about my home world?” The group of Lumas shake their heads no. “So…would ya like to know about my-a Odyssey?”  
  
“What’s an Odd-see?” one of the children asks.  
  
“An Odyssey is a big journey. It’s a grand adventure,” Rosalina explains to the group.  
  
“Adventure?! Yes please tell us!” The bundle of stars hop excitedly. Mario chuckles and begins to tell the story of he journeyed around the world, trying to stop Bowser’s latest attempt to marry Peach. He tells them about Cappy, the various kingdoms, the large dragon, re-visiting Pauline and his old home of New Donk, He tells them about the various battles with the Broodals and how he got side-tracked a little more often than he liked to admit. Daisy would be listening as intently as the star children. She loves how much of a natural storyteller Mario is, doing various voices and acting out a few bits. It was goofy sure, but it was charming its own unique way. Mario finally makes it to the climax of the story; Honeylune Ridge.

He acts out the climatic final battle with the Koopa King. He reveals at that at the end, in order to escape the collapsing cavern he had to merge with Bowser. This comes to a shock not only to the Lumas, but the adults in the room as well. _‘Taking control of Creep Koopa? Man things really must’ve gotten intense,’_ thought Daisy. Mario finishes up with how at the end Peach wanted to have her own adventure and he brought her back safely to the Mushroom Kingdom. The star children all happily cheer and begin to chat among themselves.  
  
“Alright children, that was fun but it’s getting a little late. It’s time for dinner then off to bed we go,” Rosalina says while rising from her seat.  
  
“Awh, but Mama….” they begin to whine.  
  
“Uh, no whining now. Unless you don’t want our guests to come back soon~” she teases. The promise of having Mama’s friends over again makes the group of Lumas obey. They float over and give hugs to the guests before flying off to the kitchen area. Mario nuzzles the capped Luma before handing him the chocolate he brought over. The creamy baby star gasps and lets out a blissful squee before flying off the kitchen to join the rest of his family.  
  
Luigi shyly messes with cap before asking Rosalina, “You-a still coming for tomorrow? Seems you’re still a little busy here.”  
  
She smiles softly in return, “Oh don’t worry. I can get Lubba to babysit for a few days. He owes me a few favors~”

* * *

Rosalina leads the party back to their small ship. Mario hugs her gently, “Grazie. It was-a great seeing you and the little ones.”  
  
The space princess laughs a bit, “No problem. You all should visit more often. The Lumas really love when company comes over. And I’ll be seeing you for the rest of the week as well, don’t forget.” He bows playfully, grinning before waving goodbye and running towards the ship. Daisy hugs Rosalina too, also giving her best wishes to the Lumas. “Well they really like you, so I’m sure they’ll adore having you around more.”  
  
“Awh,” Daisy bashfully scratches her head. As she makes her way towards the ship, Luigi would awkwardly hug her.  
  
“I-I’ll-a see you tomorrow,” he says in a shy tone.  
  
“Luigi wait,” her hand grabs a hold of his. He freezes completely, both turning crimson.

Rosalina averts her gaze, looking flushed, “T-thank you for coming. It means…a lot that you’re here.”

They both stay in that position for a while longer before Mario calls from the ship, “Weegee! We gotta start heading-a home!” They both snap out of it, letting go of each other’s hands. They both mumble and fumble their words, wanting to say something but nothing really comes out. Luigi would take off his cap and bow playfully like Mario. Rosalina lets out a laugh much louder than she intended and tries to composer herself again. The younger twin bids his farewell, heading to ship. As it departs and heads back to Earth, Rosalina waves, smiling widely to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so concludes this chapter. I'm surprised I was able to complete it within a month. And the Rosalina guitar moment is actually a bit of a nod to Super Mario Odyssey concept art of her. I thought it was a cute little nod. I hope you enjoyed the read and have a great day/night.


	3. Tee for Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group splits up into golfing pairs and Mario gets something off his chest, much to Daisy's surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry about not posting anything in November. Work was rough and I fell into a massive depressive episode. It was...rough. And I felt really unmotivated to continue writing. But I figured I might was well continue and at least finish what I already started. Hope you enjoy.

“Alright, gave the tykes some Star Bits as a snack and they’re playing hide and seek right now. You shouldn’t be so nervous ‘Lina, I got this,” a large somewhat plump Luma grins.  
  
The space princess gives a sigh, “Yes, I know you’re plenty capable Lubba, but I still can’t help but be a little cautious.”  
  
The portly star laughs, “I get it. Momma Fluzzard instinct. ‘Lina, you’ve been on a few adventures before and nothing bad’s happen.”  
  
“May I remind you about the bubble bath flood?” she crosses her arms.  
  
“T-that was a one time incident! You gotta let that go!” Lubba goes wide-eyed and wiggles his arms in defense. He coughs to compose himself, “Anyway, your star children are in good care. I’ll call ya if anything that I can’t handle happens.”  
  
Rosalina smiles and rolls her eyes playfully, “Alright, I’ll be back in a few days. If you keep up this good behavior, I’ll bring back something for you from Earth~” She waves goodbye to him and some of the floating star children as she heads to a small ship and starts to disembark for Sarasaland.

* * *

Sarasaland Castle wasn’t as big or extravagant as Peach’s, but it was still an impressive site to see. The more orange and sunset hued building, surrounded by a lush green garden and a large lake was the perfect oasis in the desert kingdom. The thrusters from Rosalina’s ship could be heard as she landed and some of the castle staff started to panic.  
  
“Is that a ship?!”  
  
“Oh no it sounds like thrusters!”  
  
“Tatanga’s back!”  
  
“Quick, call Mario and secure the princess!” The servants, which were a mix of toads and some other races native to the territory would scramble around.

Seeing the chaos unfold with her staff, she laughs and calls out, “Oi! Guys, chill. It’s only Rosa.” The castle crew pauses mid-frenzy and compose themselves.  
  
“Yes Princess, of course.”  
  
“Sorry Daisy, won’t happen again.” She gives a giggle and tells them to make sure the guest rooms are prepped correctly. The flower royal makes her way through the halls and down the steps to the rear courtyard. The small rocket ship would open its door and unfold its ramp, letting Rosalina to walk out.  
  
“I must say, it’s quite different from what I expected,” the cosmic Guardian smiles at Daisy.  
  
Daisy smirks and puts her hands on her hips, “Don’t tell me it’s drier than the vacuum of space~”  
  
Rosalina lets out a small chuckle, “No, but it’s alarmingly close.” She proceeds to hug her softly, “Thank you for hosting me.”  
  
Daisy returns the hug and beams widely, “Well, it’d be rude of me to have you come and go to earth and the Observatory every day. Plus, it’s nice having company for once. Let me give ya bit of a tour~” Rosalina nods and is about to grab her bag when a Pinopi butler grabs it, stating it’ll be in her room once finished with the tour. Rosalina is humbled a bit at the service but gracious accepts following Daisy. As the castle would be smaller in scale than one in the Mushroom Kingdom, it doesn’t take long. Daisy shows her the guardians, the courtyards, the kitchen and the library.

While in the library, the celestial princess asks, “Are we hosting the golf tournament here?"  
  
“Oh yeah, totally. Made a new course with the help of my team since our Golf World Tour. And I’ve been really wanting to test it out,” she responds.  
  
“I see, and it’ll only be the four of us again?”  
  
Daisy blushes, “Uh yeah. Figured…it’d be nice to have just something to unwind and just…chat before we really kick it up a notch with Tennis and Karting.”  
  
Rosalina’s cheeks would heat up lightly as well, nodding gently. They continue exploring the library for a few more minutes until Rosa speaks up again, “And they’ll be arriving shortly?”  
  
Daisy glances at a clock at the wall and grins, “They should be coming real soon~ I’ll show you your room while we wait.” The Princesses make their way to the upper floor, where the main bedrooms and guest rooms are. Daisy would lead Rosalina in and she gaps lightly. The room was decently large decorated with banners and sheets that gave way to the more rustic arid nature of the kingdom.  
  
“Daisy, this is…really wonderful,” she looks over the darkened orange bed sheets.  
  
“Aww, you’re too much Rosa. Besides, decorating isn’t my strong suit,” the brunette bashful scratches her head.

Before much of that conversation can continue however, a small blue capped toad would knock. “Princess?”

Daisy would turn to greet the small and loyal servant, “Yeah, Toadbias?”

“The brothers are here.”

Luigi would be the first one to hop out of the kart as Mario turns the engine off. “Wow,” the brother in green whistles, “It’s-a been too long since I’ve been here.’  
  
Mario looks up at the castle and smiles fondly at the first time he met the tomboyish desert flower, “Same-a Weegee. We’ve been-a overdue.”  
  
“YO! MARIO, LUIGI!” a very excited voice calls out to them. The brothers turn their heads towards the voice, seeing Daisy waving from one of the windows, “You’re just in time! Rosa arrived a little bit ago, so we’re all set!"  
  
Mario cups his hands around his mouth to yell back at her, “Grazie Principessa! We’ll be right there!” Daisy beams and gives a thumbs up before returning to the castle’s interior.  
  
“Alright, so-a feel ready to get _back in the swing of things?_ ” Luigi lets out a laugh at his pun.  
  
“Mama Mia Weegee,’ Mario breaks into a fit of giggling, “That was-a terrible~”

* * *

Daisy parks the golf kart on the course. The lush 18-hole course was lush and mixed in the natural arid desert terrain with its layout. Mario lets out a whistle, “Wow, questo è piuttosto impressionante.” (This is pretty impressive.)

As she hops off, Daisy beams bashfully, “Thanks!~ My crew and I really wanted to make this top tier.”  
  
Luigi starts to fiddle with the golf bags, getting his own out, “So-a how are-a we gonna do this? Free for all? Or do we pair up and go one-on-one’s?” Mario shrugs, saying he’s fine with either option. Luigi turns to Rosalina who says the same thing, but in a much shyer tone. He looks at Daisy, seeing how she feels.

The flower princess puts a hand on her chin, thinking, _‘Well, if it’s a free-for-all, it’d be nice to get everyone together. But on the other hand if I can manage to get some more personal time with Mario…’_ Her mind daydreams to having Mario hold her arms for a few practice swings.  
  
“Princess? ‘Ello?” Luigi waves a gloved hand in-front of her face, waking Daisy from her thoughts.  
  
“W-woah! Oh, heh, sorry got lost in my train of thought,” she looks away sheepishly for a few moments, “Anyway, I think we can warm up doing one-on-ones then see how we feel from there.”  
  
“Sounds like-a plan. So Bro, who ya da feel like-a patterning up with?” Luigi asks his older twin.  
  
Mario looks at Rosalina and Luigi, knowing that this could probably be some good time for them to talk things out.

 _‘Besides, Daisy’s always-a fun Player 2,’_ he thinks to himself. “Is it ok if I get in a few rounds with Daisy? It’s-a been a bit and I feel a little rusty.”  
  
Daisy immediately feels her face heat up but composes herself. Luigi grins widely and puts an arm around his brother, “Okdokie~ But I-a expect some good shots from you later!” Mario laughs and nods in response. Soon they pair up and get their gear ready to start heading to different parts of the course. But before they separate Mario pulls Rosalina aside for a brief moment.  
  
“Hey, Rosa,” he says in a quieter voice.

“Yes Mario?”  
  
“I hope you don’t mind making you two pair up,” he turns to look at Luigi doing a stretch, “I-a thought it’d be-a nice. Weegee’s not the most competitive, so I know you’ll-a be more patient and relaxed with him.”  
  
The space princess’s cheeks get flushed. She nods gently, letting out a small laugh, “You’re a good brother, Mario,” she gives a very small kiss to his cheek, “Thank you.”  
  
Mario bashfully scratches the back of his cap, “E-heh, no problem~ Well we better not keep our partners waiting!” He bows playfully to her and grabs his bag, heading off to meet up with Daisy.

Rosalina smiles widely, saying softly, “May the stars be in both our favors.”

* * *

The game had a very laid-back casual approach compared to most of their official golf tournaments. Daisy would be winning slightly, having a score of -1 compared to Mario making a par on every hole so fair. Near the 7th hole, Daisy asks Mario to sit on the bench with her for a bit.  
  
“Grazie, I could-a used a moment to sit down,” the red-capped adventurer smiles.  
  
“Don’t sweat it~ I know Sarasaland’s climate is a little hotter than the Mushroom Kingdom’s.” She digs out a water bottle from her bag and hands it to him. He happily accepts it and guzzles half of it down. The pair sit in comfortable silence for a few moments.

“I’m-a…sorry,” he finally speaks out.

Daisy does a double take, looking genuinely confused at his comment, “Sorry? Mario, you haven’t done anything wrong.”  
  
“I…haven’t been-a good friend to you.”

She’s taken aback by this, gasping lightly. She shakes her head, “Mario, what are ya talking about? You’ve been really kind to me.”  
  
“But, I feel like I’ve-a neglected you,” he sighs, turning his head away from her. “Apart from-a karts, sports and parties, I-a haven’t brought you along with me.” Daisy looks away from him and focuses on the grass around them.

 _‘It’s true,’_ she thinks, _‘That I have been feeling a little sidelined, but he shouldn’t be so harsh on himself about it.’_

The mustachioed man lets out a deep breath, “I always-a wanted to be someone you could-a count on. Be a hero to you, like how I-a am with Weegee or…” he whispers the next name, “…Peachy.” The flower princess’s eyes widen as she looks back towards Mario. “Non ero lì per te,” (I wasn’t there for you.) Mario’s head hung low in shame, feeling he’s let one of his special people down. Daisy’s heart melts and bit and she pulls Mario in for a hug, much to both of their surprise.

“Mario…” she smiles, “…you saved me all those years ago from that alien jerk. And while I haven’t gone on many adventures with you since then, I always love going to the events you invite me to. I always look forward towards them.” Mario turns his head up towards her, his eyes slightly moist. She fights the urge to kiss him, noting that the impulse would only make things weirder. She just laughs and nods, “And heck, it wasn’t all too long ago that Creep Koopa managed to kidnap me. But you still came for me. Yeah, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Toad and Toadette helped, but it was **you** who came running first **.** ” She squeezes him gently, “I know you’ll always come for me when I need it. I know you’re my hero, Mario.” She turns a little red, realizing what she said sounded more romantic than she intended. But she didn’t regret it at all: she meant it.  
  
The red-capped adventurer grins and wraps his arms around her, “Principessa, thank you. I’m-a glad you’re my friend.” A part of Daisy feels saddened at the word friend, but this is the closest she’s held him a while; she’s not wasting this chance.  
  
“Anytime,” she giggles, “C’mon we got a few more rounds to finish. Don’t wanna keep Luigi and Rosalina waiting~” He chuckles and nods, letting her go. He gazes at her for a few moments before returning to line up his shot. _‘Maybe…things will work out,’_ she grins to herself.

* * *

Later that evening, when the brothers finally bid their farewells, the Princesses retired to their chambers. Rosalina would be in her evening gown, prepping to relax for the night. She hears a knock on her door. “Come in,” she calls out. Daisy, wearing her own sleepwear, carries a tray of snacks and tea to the cosmic royal. Rosalina quickly gets up to grab it and sets it down on the nightstand. “Awfully kind of you Daisy. You didn’t have to,” she smiles.  
  
The flower princess gives a toothy grin, “It’s fine. Just wanted to check in on ya. Snacks gave me the perfect excuse.’ Rosalina lets out a soft gasp and nods. She sits on the bed and scoots over to make a place for her current companion. Daisy happily takes a seat next to her. After a few moments of silence, the flower princess speaks up, “So I take it things went well with Luigi~”  
  
Rosalina blushes and averts her eyes, coughing a bit, “Erm. Yes. He was…enjoyable company.”  
  
 _‘You two are adorable. The ball just has to keep rolling~’_ Daisy thinks to herself.

“And I assume your afternoon with Mario was rather nice?”  
  
Daisy’s cheeks turn red, but not nearly as flushed as her friend’s. She nods and smiles a little bittersweetly, “Yes. And…he feels oddly guilty. He said he’s felt as if he’s sidelined me, because I haven’t been on many adventurers with him.”  
  
The space princess bites her lip, “Well I feel I do have a bit to blame there. I did join them in the Sprixie Kingdom and was invited to a few of their other events.”  
  
“Nono!” Daisy waves her hands a bit, “Don’t feel guilty! I’m glad you’re able to explore the world after being cooped up in space for…Star Spirits know how long. And yeah I did feel a little neglected but that’s not your fault,” she reassures her. “Besides,” she laughs lightly, “I’m just saying it’s a little ironic when I’m supposed to be cheering him up and he’s still worried about me.”  
  
Rosalina’s smile widens, chuckling, “He always did care. Even if he wasn’t around, he still talked about you.”  
  
Daisy’s blush would deepen as she plays with her hair nervously, “I-I see.” Rosalina snickers and glances around the room playfully; acting as if she’s being watched.  
  
“Well,” she begins, “He has a few pictures of his favorite memories with him in his wallet. As a keepsake. And…” her smiles turns into a massive beam, “…one of them is of you two in the Sky Pop.” Daisy’s mind freezes a bit, replaying their plane ride back from the sky to the castle. She loved how carefree and safe she felt.

She pulls in Rosalina into a massive hug and lets out a tear, “Thank you…Rosa.”  
  
She’s a little surprised by the sudden gesture, but happily returns it. She stats to softly pat her back, much to how she does with the Lumas. “Anytime, Daisy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Even with the delay, I'm decently proud with how this chapter turned out. Hard to make golf that interesting in a a writing perspective (I've only seen a few books do it) so I just kinda used it as a chance for Mario and Daisy to finally have a bit of a heart-to-heart.


	4. Making a Raquet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The main gang goes to the Kingdom of Bask for an exhibition tournament. Mario in the meantime, has to deal with some re-emerging feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Sorry for being so late on this. Had a really bad funk during January and the first week of February. Really couldn't bring myself to finish it until I got an upswing (pun mildly intended).

A loud foghorn blares through the room, startling Luigi; making him tumble out of bed. Mario shoots up in his own, awakened more by his brother’s yelling than the horn. A voice comes over the loudspeaker “All aboard the Daisy Cruiser, we have arrived to the Kingdom of Bask.” After groggily getting dressed into their sporty outfits and Mario slightly berating his brother for scaring him; the pair head to the dining area for a quick breakfast. Both would be having a fairly healthy breakfast: a bowl of honey shroom oatmeal with a side of fruit from the Yoshi and Kongo Islands. Luigi’s eating at his normal pace but notices Mario is slowly eating his meal; more toying with it than actually shoveling it down his throat.

“Ey-a bro?” the younger twin calls out to him.  
  
Mario snaps out of his slightly tranced state, “Hmm? Oh-a sorry Weegee. Were you saying-a something?”  
  
Luigi shakes his head but softly smiles, “You’ve just been-a quiet. Ever since we-a went golfing, you seem…” he puts a hand on his chin, trying to find the right word, “…pensive.” The older twin nods and puts his hands together on the table. He had a lot to think about, considering the conversation with Daisy.

 _‘She’s been-a supportive. She-a reminded me why I still like to-a go on adventures. She’s a made me-a happy with her company.’_ He closes his eyes, still musing over things, _‘And…that’s why I feel-a guilty. Is it-a right to bounce from-a Peachy’s rejection to Daisy’s attention? Is that-a really fair to her? Am I-a reading too much into things?’_

“Mario?” Luigi’s voice once again broke through his line of thought. He sees Luigi’s gloved hand on his shoulder, “Stai bene?” (You ok?)  
  
The older twin nods and grins gently, “Yeah, I’m-a ok. Just sorting out-a things.” He puts his own hand on his brother’s shoulder reassuringly. He decides to continue this internal debate later, after tennis. “But enough about-a me, what’s-a going on between you and Rosa?~” he asks teasingly.

Luigi lets out an high pitched “eep” at the question, turning red. “E-heh, w-what do y-you mean, Bro?”

Mario’s grin gets wider, “You-a seem more confident, you-a walk like you got a spring in your step, and you-a hum and sing to yourself more often.” The younger brother is practically glowing red from his flustered state. Mario lets out a laugh, “But it’s-a good! I’m happy for you Weegee.” He looks at Luigi with a sense of pride that he’s been able to get his life more in check than his own, “I mean it.”

“Hey, are ya teasing Luigi without me?” an upbeat voice cut-offs Luigi’s response. Both brothers turn to see Daisy and Rosalina approach, wearing their own tennis outfits. Rosalina giggles and waves hello while Daisy crosses her arms, smirking. “I was wondering where you two were. It’s been roughly half an hour since we docked."

“We-a just needed something to get our energy going, right Mario?” Luigi sheepishly beams.

“Scusa, colpa mia” (Sorry, my bad.) he responds while giving an apologetic shrug.  
  
Daisy’s smirk turns into a full blown smile as she takes a seat, motioning Rosalina to do the same. “Well I guess I better stay here to make sure you two hurry up then, hope ya don’t mind~”  
  
Rosalina takes a seat as Mario replies, “Il piacere è mio.” (Pleasure’s all mine.)

* * *

Soon after breakfast, the quartet head to the main stadium. “So, any-a reason why we’ve come here instead of the courts back home?” Mario asks the Flower Princess.

“I figured we could use a bit of a vacation. Even if it’s for a single day,” she grins, “Besides, it was easier to get our guests to join us here.”  
  
“Guests?” Mario’s question would be answered as a familiar green dinosaur, a red bowed pink figure, a large ape and a smaller chimp came into view. “Yoshi, Birdo, DK and-a Diddy! I didn’t expect you-a here!” the mustachioed hero beams as he rushes up to hug the dinosaur.

“Yoshi Yoshi!” (It’s great to see ya too Mario!) Donkey Kong pounds his chest and gives a thumbs up as Diddy waves hello.

“Well I say we do have quite the ample party for a casual game,” Rosalina smiles.

“Rosalina, when have ever I taken my sports casually?~” Daisy winks. “Alright Toadbias, as our judge, explain what we’re doing here.” Daisy’s blue Toad servant, dressed in a white and black referee uniform would stumble onto the podium, tripping slightly.  
  
He coughs lightly, “Erm, yeah! Welcome to the Sarasa Scrimmage! It’s a simple 4 team doubles tournament. Power moves, specials and zone shots are allowed. Everyone here will get a medal.” He gestures towards a clear case where 8 medals are displayed, bearing the crest of the Sarasaland dessert flower. “But 1st, 2nd and 3rd are gold, silver and bronze, respectively. Anyway, I look forward to seeing y’all have fun and compete! The tourney starts in half an hour so form your teams and start practicing!” The contestants are left to mingle among themselves as they form their duos. Yoshi and Birdo pair up with each other as do Donkey Kong and Diddy, leaving the quartet to organize themselves.  
  
“Hmm, what you thinkin’ bro? We do-a classic player 1 and player 2?” Luigi suggests to his older twin.

Mario closes his eyes and rubs his chin. _‘Hmm, I love being with Weegee. But this could be-a nice chance to him to work with Rosa. It’s also a chance to see how well I-a sync up with Daisy. It’s-a been a while and I still need to make it up to her.’_

“So that means some good ol’ Princess power, ey Rosalina?~” Daisy cheers and teases.

“Actually, Daisy, would you-a mind if I-a paired up with you?” Daisy’s eyes widen as her mind completely halts, blushing madly. Mario’s head turns to his younger brother, “I already know we work super well together Weegee. But since this is-a more of a warm-up, I wanna see how well I sync up with Daisy, if that’s ok.” His attention turns towards the space guardian, “I-a hope that’s alright with you Rosalina.”  
  
She gives a knowing smile, _‘I knew the stars would shine on you two~’_ “Of course, I don’t mind at all.”

He looks back at Daisy, “So….you-a want to?” His cheeks getting slightly flushed.

Daisy’s brain reactivates and she gives a thumbs up to him, “Of course! Let’s rock this tourney!”

And so the teams were formed, Mario and Daisy formed “Flower Power” while Luigi and Rosalina formed “Stargazers.” Yoshi’s and DK’s team were named “Eggscelent” and “Jungle Rumble” respectively. “Alright everyone, I got the match set-up!” Toadbias calls out. He points to the screen above them, showing the small bracket. “Team Power Power is going against Team Jungle Rumble. Team Stargazers is up against Team Eggscelent. Good luck everyone!”

* * *

Mario and Daisy line up to their side of the court: Mario taking front, Daisy covering the rear. The two simians take their positions with Diddy at the front and Donkey taking the back. “Ready?” calls out one of the toad referees. Both teams nod at him. The princess is already bouncing the tennis ball in her hand. “Play!” he shouts to start the match. Daisy preps the shot and launches it to the far end of the court, where Diddy hits it back. The volley between the two pairs continues to build until Mario backhands it, causing Donkey Kong to miss. The score board flashes 15-0.

“Alright!” cheers on Daisy. Mario smiles wide before smirking at the Kong duo. Daisy serves again and the match continues. The game was fairly matched, with Flower Power have a two point advantage. The first game ended with a score of 60-30. Both teams took a small break for a bit of water. “You’re doing really good out there, Mario,” she grins.

The shorter man does a playful bow, “Thank you-a very much~ Your speed and technique helps me keep up with-a DK’s harder hits.”  
  
Her cheeks turn red as she takes a sip of water. She giggles, “Well we make a pretty good team, don’t we?~”

Now it’s Mario’s turn for his face to get flushed; he shyly fiddles with his visor cap, “E-heh.” He looks over to see everyone getting back in place, “Well, come on, we have a second game to-a win!” She gives a peace sign and wink before heading back to the court. The second game would be similarly paced to the first, that is until Donkey Kong uses his special shot. The giant ape gets into the barrels to launch himself. “Principessa, look out!” Daisy tries to block it but her timing’s slightly too late: her racket shatters.

“Woaugh!” she yelps out in surprise and some mild pain. Her arm gets incredibly sore from the impact.  
  
His head turns to her for a second, “Are-a you ok?”

She nods, rubbing her arm, “I can finish the match, don’t worry. Then won’t beat us yet!” Mario nods; the match resumes after Daisy grabs a spare racket. The volley’s continue and the second game ends up a little closer than the first, with Flower Power only having a one-point advantage against the Kongs. For the game point, Diddy Kong starts the round; both teams build up their special meters. Diddy manages to activate his Special, climbing on a vine to hit the ball, aiming to tie the game. “Oh, you’re not going to pull that stunt twice,” she smirks. She activates her Zone Speed, slowing down time slightly to counter it, hitting the ball back towards the Jungle team. Donkey Kong tries to back-hand it but misses, resulting in a win for the Flower players.  
  
“Game, set, match! The winners of this first round are Daisy and Mario!” shouts Toadbias from the ref stands. Mario goes to congratulate the Kongs for a good match, fist bumping them both.

The princess goes over to the break area, massaging her shoulder, _‘Man, that shot did a number on my arm,_ ’ Daisy thinks.  
  
“Is-a everything alright?” Mario looks at her with concern.  
  
She gives a reassuring smile, “Yea, I’m good. We may need to switch positions next game however. Think that Power Shot slowed me down.” Mario blinks for a few moments before rushing towards one of the rec rooms. Daisy tilts her head and is about to call to him as he rushes back with a first-aid kit in hand. She shakes her head and grins, “Mario, I’m fine trust me.”

“I-a trust you,” he opens it up and digs out an ice pack, some healing cream and a bundle of gauze, “But remember I am-a licensed to take care of others. Lemme see-a that arm.” He puts his gloved hand out. She gets flushed for a few moments before nodding and stretching out her sore arm towards him. He carefully puts ice on it first, to help numb the soreness. After that, he gently messages it with healing cream. Daisy can’t help but let out a few pleasurable grunts. Mario pauses and looks at her, “I-I’m not being-a rough am I?”

Daisy, in a bit of a daze, murmurs, “Nope~”

The red-visor’d medic feels his heart skip a little at her reaction. He quickly gets back to finishing taking care of her arm. “Oki, presto!” Hearing him exclaim his completion, she slowly stretches her bandaged arm.

“Not bad at all~ Still gonna need you to take rear,” she winks at him. He nods and is about to say something when he’s interrupted by the Stargazer team entering the break area.

“Well, I’m rooting for the pair of you in the final,” Rosalina smiles softly as she sits down.  
  
“Thanks, when we d- wait,” Daisy does a double take, “You’re not going against us?”  
  
“No,” sighs Luigi, “Seems I-a was a bit rusty.”  
  
The princess in light blue sporting gear puts a hand on his shoulder, “Luigi, don’t be so hard on yourself. We had fun and it’s been ages since I’ve gotten to play a decent match.” The younger twin’s mind freezes as her hand gently strokes his shoulder. He murmurs pleasantly under his breath.  
  
“Well, you still have-a chance for the bronze, and I believe in you two,” Mario says, ruffling Luigi’s hair.  
  
“E-heh, thanks Bro. Good luck on the final.”

* * *

The final match was neck and neck. Eggscelent and Flower Power have been trading off match point after match point. Both teams have scored one match each, this third and final game being the tie-breaker. Yoshi’s speed combine with Birdo’s tick shots proved to be a far more formidable challenge than the powerhouse of the Kong duo.  
  
 _‘Mama mia, no wonder Weegee had a hard time with them,’_ Mario wipes the sweat off his brow. Everything led up to this; right now Daisy and he had the advantage point, after losing it to a deuce earlier. _‘C’mon, Prinicpessa, we can win this.’_ He turns to his partner who gives him a nod with a determined look in her eyes. Mario serves and the volley starts. Yoshi is able to keep up with the hits in the rear while Birdo keeps performing trick shots to build up her Star Energy. _‘Not-a good,’_ he thinks to himself.

“Wewoah!” (Ready to fire!) Birdo shouts, and aims a Zone Shot at the other end of the court. Daisy manages to deflect it, but her racket breaks in a few places, having mis-timed it slightly.

 _‘Darn it, I can’t pull off Zone Speed to counter one of Yoshi’s now,’_ she rolls her eyes. The volley continues until, as if on cue, Yoshi activates his own Zone Shot.  
  
“Yoshi! Yoshi!” (Heading your way!) The green dinosaur hits the ball, to which Mario used up some of his own Star Energy to counter perfectly.

Mario huffs, _‘Mama Mia, I need to build up some-a juice again if I’m able to pull this off.’_ The match continues, neither team backing down. Both teams focus on building their Star Energy up. Birdo backhands the balls to a far corner. _‘I have to-a take the risk!’_ Mario does a trick shot, hoping it’s enough to send him over the edge to fill his gauge to the max. He’s able to pull it off sending the ball to Yoshi who returns it high.

“Now Mario!” Daisy shouts at her team-mate. The athlete in red waits until the ball is just infront of him: he activates his special. Using the Star Energy he built up as walls to jump off of, Mario sends it directly at Yoshi. The fast ball is hard to counter and shatters Yoshi’s racket, scoring the final point for Mario and Daisy.  
  
“GAME. SET. MATCH! TEAM FLOWER POWER IS OUR EXHIBITION CHAMPION!” Toadbias shouts from the referee stands. The staff and a few of the guests watching would cheer. Yoshi sighs as Birdo gives him a reassuring pat on the back. Meanwhile Mario and Daisy rush up towards each other. They both hug as Daisy lifts him off the ground slightly, spinning them both around.  
  
“We did it!” She screams excitedly.  
  
“I couldn’t have-a done it without you!” Mario beams back. They both giggle and continue to hold their embrace for a few minutes until the Toad referee pokes Mario’s leg.  
  
“Well uh, we need to set up the awards ceremony now,” he sheepishly coughs.  
  
Both Mario and Daisy blink for a few moments, turning red, before letting go. “E-heh. Certo che sì.” (Of course.)

* * *

The awards ceremony was short; Mario and Daisy got their gold prize, Yoshi and Birdo with their silver, and much to the Flower Team’s delight, Luigi and Rosalina with their bronze. After a group picture, Mario excuses himself to go to his room on the Daisy Cruiser.

“Are you sure, Bro? We’d love for you to stay a little longer.” Luigi tilts his head.  
  
“And we’re seeing if the other players here would like to tag along for our Kart tournament tomorrow,” adds in Rosalina. Mario’s gaze turns towards Daisy.

He coughs, “Eh, it’s-a ok. I trust all of you. I-a think I’m gonna get a snack then head to bed.” He gives a reassuring smile.  
  
Daisy places a hand on his shoulder, “Alright, but if ya need anything, don’t hesitate to come back out to us, ok?” The shorter man politely bows and leaves to retire for the night; albeit taking a detour to the snack bar.

In his room, he looks at the shiny gold medal on his neck and smiles warmly, plopping on the bed. He bites his lip, putting his arms behind his head, deep in thought. _‘Daisy. Mama mia, I have to be-a sure. Am I-a falling for you again, or am I-a just falling for your company?’_ He taps his foot, musing to himself, _‘I-a think I know what will makes clearer.’_ He grins to himself, looking at the medal once more. He had an idea, but that will wait for the Kart Tournament tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Writing things about a sport I only know the video game rules about was kinda rough and probably led to the delayed nature of the chapter. Hopefully I can get the next chapter in a little sooner. Thank you and have a wonderful day/night.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you for reading and any and all feedback is highly appreciated!


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